At the Edge of the Pier
by InevitableConfusion
Summary: "Well, the Aphrodite kids made a bet. About us. And the whole camp kind of joined in." / Percy Jackson can be an idiot sometimes, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Set after The Last Olympian. Percabeth.


Well hello there! I wrote something for a different fandom for once. It's a sure sign of the apocalypse.

I've gotten pretty obsessed with PJO during the past month and I've been crazy inspired to write lately, so I decided to try my hand at some Percabeth. With fluff. Lots of fluff. I saw a bunch of merman Percy AUs and lakehouse ficlets, then this popped into my head. Originally, this was intended to be a fic of drabble proportions, but once I started writing it just kept building and building _and building_. And voila.

Also crap title is crap.

I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything relating to Percy Jackson and the Olympians other than the plot of this story.

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At the Edge of the Pier

Annabeth sat at the edge of the pier, not bothering to take her shoes off since her legs weren't quite long enough to reach the water. It was a hot day at Camp Half-Blood, but thankfully not too hot. The sun was high in the sky, yet barely anyone stirred. Most of the campers were still recovering from the Titan War, stressing about fixing everything up and generally wearing themselves out trying to return some semblance of normalcy to their lives. But not Annabeth. She couldn't have been more relaxed.

A cool breeze blew over the lake and danced through her blonde curls. She thought about everything and nothing all at once. It was peaceful.

"Hey, you."

The corners of her mouth twitched. Figures Percy would find her. She tilted her head back, swinging her legs playfully as she flashed a grin at her not-yet-boyfriend. Percy stood over her, an equally goofy smile on his face as he met her gaze. "Hey."

She looked back out over the lake and out of the corner of her eye she watched Percy sit next to her. His bare feet dipped into the water. A serene feeling swept over them, one that was more than welcome.

"It's nice, huh?" Percy piped up. Annabeth didn't know whether he was talking about the calmness that they were feeling or the view that they currently had, but she made a noise of agreement. Both. Both were good. It was silent for a long moment. "You know, we're the talk of the camp now." She responded with another noise, feeling somewhat like she was in a trance. "What are we gonna do?"

She finally turned her gray eyes on him. "What do you mean?"

"How are we gonna deal with all of the attention? I mean, I know we should probably act as leaders and help get the camp back on its feet, but I still don't want everyone prying into our lives like we're celebrities or something. It's weird."

Her brow furrowed a bit. "Why am I in charge of making a plan?"

"Because you love to plan, and you're much better at it than I am!" He gave her the most adorable grin he could muster. Unfortunately, it was working. "That's one thing I like about you; beauty _and_ brains."

Her stomach fluttered and she felt heat crawling up her neck and into her face. She nudged him teasingly. "You're a dork."

"What?" he laughed, staring at her with his impossibly green eyes. His expression became unreadable and he said quietly, "It's true."

She had the sudden urge to kiss him. Or shove him off the pier in her embarrassment. She ignored both urges and opted to roll her eyes instead. "What kinds of things are they saying, anyway?"

Percy shrugged, looking down as he picked at a piece of splintering wood. "Oh, you know. This and that."

Annabeth waited for an elaboration, but he went silent. "I need more than that, Percy."

"Like… well, the Aphrodite kids made a bet. About us. And the whole camp kind of joined in." Her face got warm again.

She tried to sound uninterested. "Yeah?"

He peeked out from under his messy hair and met her gaze. "Yeah."

It was no secret that Percy and Annabeth liked each other. For goodness' sake, they had _kissed_. More than once. People knew how they acted around each other. They witnessed the hugs that were a little too close and a little too long, noticed the softness in their gazes, saw the little kisses they snuck every once in a while. The demigods were completely smitten. And with the camp being full of gossiping teenagers, _of course_ word would get around.

Still, it was frustrating sometimes. They weren't officially a couple, they had never been on an actual date, and not much had really changed between the two. (Not that she wanted much to change. Just a few key things.) But Percy had to have known she was crazy about him, so why were they still tiptoeing around the idea of becoming more than friends?

In that moment, she decided that she'd ask him if he didn't ask her first. No way was she letting this one get away.

"I actually, uh… I joined in on the bet."

Strike that.

"You what?!" she yelled, sitting up straight. "_Percy!_" She smacked his back hard, and just as suddenly as she did, he was sinking under the water.

Did… did she do that? _Surely_ not. She wasn't strong enough to knock him off… was she? No. Percy was just being melodramatic. She leaned her elbows on her knees, a half-smile gracing her lips, and stared into the murky water. "Ha-ha, very funny. Come back up, now."

No response.

She couldn't see anything two inches below the surface, but she knew he was sitting down there and he could hear her. Probably just trying to escape the conversation and avoid having to explain himself. "Percy, come on."

Silence.

Now he was camping at the bottom, trying to make her mad. She just _knew_ it. And it was working. She could practically see the grin on his stupid face. "Seriously, Percy, come back up." She wasn't joking around anymore.

Still, there was no response. No indication that he was even in the same spot, other than air bubbles popping at random intervals.

Soon enough, the air bubbles stopped rising to the surface. That was weird. Even when he made a pocket of air around him, bubbles still escaped. Her brow creased. "Percy?"

Nothing.

Panic started to swell within her chest. He couldn't drown, right? He definitely couldn't drown. He was the son of Poseidon! But… what if he hit his head or something? Did his powers still work if he lost consciousness? No, he was fine. Right? Yeah… fine.

Not even any ripples now.

_Oh gods._ She gripped the pier tightly and leaned forward, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of movement – _anything_. "Percy, please – "

Suddenly, water sprayed up in a huge splash. She couldn't see anything, but she felt something wrap around her neck and before she could process what was going on, she was yanked forward.

Annabeth let out a very undignified shriek and hit the water.

The lake was nice and cool, she had to admit, but she definitely wasn't there by choice. Well, _her_ choice, anyway. She opened her eyes and looked up to find Percy's grinning mug, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. The idiot hadn't even bothered to form a bubble around them, so they were both thoroughly soaked. She frowned and roughly pushed away from him before swimming up. She broke through the surface and gasped, shaking the water out of her eyes. Percy came up shortly after, laughing and gasping for breath.

"You're a jerk!" she yelled, splashing him. He only laughed more.

"Sorry! I couldn't resist teasing you a bit. I'm sorry, Annabeth."

Her eyes stung. "No you're not!" She splashed him again.

When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to notice her distress. His gaze softened and he gave her a lopsided smile as he swam closer. She felt a current move under her feet, supporting her so she didn't have to tread water. He must've supported himself too, because he lifted his arms from the water, cupped her face with both of his hands and kissed her soundly.

She melted into his touch, her anger momentarily wiped from her mind. A fire spread in her abdomen and trailed all over her body, flaring across her skin wherever they came in contact. Her arms slowly wrapped around his torso, pulling him closer, and her hand accidentally grazed the weak spot on his back. He shivered. She felt his wet eyelashes flutter against her skin; the water dripping off his chin and down her neck; the warmth of his calloused hands on her face.

It was all too soon when he broke away, but he quickly kissed her again. She took a moment to savor the feeling before he pulled back completely. She opened her eyes to look at him, her breathing a little ragged. His face was flushed and his dark hair stuck to his forehead in weird places, water droplets rolling over his skin.

Did he _really_ turn down the offer to become a god? Maybe he accepted when she wasn't paying attention.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice low and soothing. One hand cupped her cheek while the other attempted to wipe the water off her face. It didn't work so well considering his hand was wet. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yeah, well," she blinked as he swiped his fingers gently over her eyes. As soon as he stopped she looked pointedly at him, her eyes turning steely. "Don't ever try to pull a stunt like that again."

He couldn't help but smile. "I won't. Promise." He kissed her cheek chastely and grabbed her hand. "Come on."

They both swam toward the pier, Percy leading the way. He scrambled up the wooden surface and turned, offering a hand to her. She grabbed it gratefully.

And yanked him back into the water.

His eyes went wide and he yelped before she heard a satisfying splash behind her. She grabbed the planks and heaved herself up, turning to sit and crossing her legs. She was wringing the water out of her hair when Percy came up, sputtering and shaking his head. He stared at her, an incredulous smile on his face and an amused glint in his wild green eyes. "Feel better?"

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and grinned cheekily at him. "Much."

When he swam back over, she reached down and helped him up. Then, they were right back where they started, both sitting on the edge of the pier and staring out over the lake. Percy knocked the side of his head with his palm, obviously trying to get water out of his ear.

"Why don't you just use your powers to get the water out?" Annabeth questioned curiously.

"Can't. Too close to the ear drum. Don't want to risk anything." He shook his head one last time before sighing happily and leaning back on his hands. She pulled off her shoes, tucked her soaking socks in them, and set them beside her. Percy glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Sorry."

"Don't be." She uncrossed her legs and stretched out on the pier, content to just lie there and let the sun dry her off.

They sat there in silence for several minutes. Suddenly, a question popped into Annabeth's mind and piqued her interest.

"Hey, Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"What was the bet about?"

The muscles in his arms tensed up. "I agreed to the bet in exchange for people leaving us alone," he dodged the question nervously.

Her brow furrowed and she sat up. "But what was the bet about?" He tried to avoid her prying eyes.

"It… they were betting on… on if I'd ever get up the nerve t-to ask you out." She sat up straighter, shock evident on her features. He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and gave her a serious look. "Annabeth, will you be my girlfriend?"

She was quiet for too long. Then, finally, "A-are you serious?" Before he could respond, she stood up and glared down at him. Hurt laced her voice and marred her pretty features. "You're asking me out _because of a bet?!_"

"What?! No!" he yelled indignantly, standing up too.

"Then it's because you want people to leave us alone?" she spat.

"Of course not!"

"Then why? What, you had to wait until some stupid bet forced you to grow a pair?"

"E-_excuse _me?!"

"You heard me!"

"Look, that's not what I meant."

"Well, what _did_ you mean?"

Percy clenched his teeth. "I like you."

"Then why didn't you say something?" Annabeth huffed, throwing her arms out in exasperation. "Why did you wait to ask me _after_ you brought up the bet? _Why didn't you ask me sooner?_"

"Because I was scared!"

"Of _what?!_"

"_Of__ how **much** I like you!_" The scathing retort completely vanished from her lips. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. His eyes were so intense that she swore he was looking straight through her. "You know how I am, Annabeth. You know how much I mess things up, and I didn't want to do that to our relationship. I didn't want to do that to _us_. Frankly, I don't think I'll ever like anyone else as much as I like you. But I didn't want to ruin anything. I didn't – _don't _want to lose you. I just… I was scared. But that bet – seeing how many people were rooting for us, it helped me realize that I'm not the only one who controls the outcome; whatever happens to us happens _because we let it_. And I'm willing to take a chance. I'm not scared anymore. So I'll ask again. Will you be my girlfriend?"

He held his breath, standing completely vulnerable in front of her. Her heart pounded in her ears so loudly that she could barely hear anything else. She fished for words for a long while.

Finally, she let out a breathy laugh and ran her hands through her damp hair. "Well geez, Seaweed Brain, when you put it like that…"

His face grew hopeful and it was decidedly the most endearing thing she'd ever seen.

Still, she wouldn't make it easy for him. She'd never make it easy for him. She crossed an arm over her chest and held onto her elbow. Bringing a hand to her mouth, she scrunched her face in mock-thought, looking him over and trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. As she looked him over, he smirked, eyebrows raised, and lifted his arms as if to say 'Well?'

She dropped her arms and heaved a dramatic sigh. "I guess I can go out with you."

His face broke into a wide grin. "You _guess?_" he replied in a tone that was so overdone, she couldn't help but laugh. He opened his arms and she instantly walked into them, hugging him fiercely. His arms were secure and comforting around her shoulders.

"But if we're going to be together, you have to abide by some of my rules." She lifted her head to look at him, a smirk creeping across her face.

"Like what?" he smiled back mischievously.

"You have to promise you won't leave me."

"Of course!" he said seriously.

"You have to beat up any guy who hurts me."

"Naturally."

"And… you have to call me stupid cutesy nicknames." She almost snickered at that one.

He laughed and pulled her close again. She felt his voice rumble deep in his chest. "We'll see."

They lost track of how long they stood there holding each other, but it was long enough that other campers started milling about outside, a couple of them casting sidelong glances their way and whispering to each other. Then, just as suddenly as before, another thought struck Annabeth.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you ask me to come up with a plan when you were already taking care of it?"

"Backup."

She looked at him strangely. "What, you thought I'd say _no?_"

He at least had the decency to look sheepish.

_End_

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Definitely not the best thing I've ever written, but I actually like how it turned out. It was a lot of fun to write!

Please let me know your thoughts, and thank you for reading!

Vee


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